In an interview with the Washington Post, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan disclosed more information about the next generation console. This included PlayStation 5 console numbers, and that 99 percent of PlayStation 4 games can be played on the PlayStation 5.
In addition to this, Ryan also mentioned that PlayStation 4 community will continue to be important to Sony for the next three to four years. He added that while many will transition to the PlayStation 5, if Sony does their job well “tens of millions will still be engaged with the PlayStation 4.”
In regards to the mentioned backwards compatibility of PlayStation 4 games, Ryan said that thousands of games were tested for backwards compatibility, and that “99 percent” can be played on the next generation console. A list of backwards compatible PlayStation 4 games for the PlayStation 5 has not been released.
The PS Plus Collection, which was announced at the PlayStation 5 Forward, will offer eighteen first-party PlayStation 4 titles on the PlayStation 5. The only caveat to this being that users who want to take advantage of this service must be subscribed to the PlayStation Online service.
Additionally, Ryan mentioned that there will be more PlayStation 5 consoles “ready for sale than they had PlayStation 4 units in 2013.” Release dates for the PlayStation 5 were announced at the PlayStation 5 Forward, in addition to prices for the Digital Edition and the standard edition. The Digital Edition of the console won’t feature a disc drive, unlike the standard version.
The PlayStation 5 will launch in Australia, Japan, North America, and South Korea on November 12, 2020. It will appear worldwide on November 19, 2020.
